


Domesticated

by monkeysrool75



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Animals, Cats, Dogs, Gen, Pets
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-05
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:14:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22566109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monkeysrool75/pseuds/monkeysrool75
Summary: A little self indulgent collection of loosely connected stories I write in my spare time where the students of Garreg Mach are pets and other animals, and staff and church members are people.I will add characters and tags as I go along.
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg & Hubert von Vestra, Edelgard von Hresvelg & My Unit | Byleth, Manuela Casagranda & My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 1
Kudos: 21





	Domesticated

**Author's Note:**

> As always, shout out to my best friend for editing (he's currently writing a Bernadetta story that's super good, hopefully he'll eventually post it.)

It had been about a week since the white kitten had come to the shelter. Her wounds were finally starting to heal, and the black dog that had seemingly adopted her since she’d arrived hadn’t left her side.  
  
“What happened to her?” a young voice echoed through the shelter.  
  
“Someone left a box of kittens in the road,” a mature voice responded. “There were eleven in the litter, but she’s the only one that survived.”  
  
“Why would anyone do that!?”  
  
“It’s awful, but it happens when people don’t know what to do with them.”  
  
The two of them watched as the kitten shivered, and the dog wrapped his tail around her.  
  
“Hey Manuela,” the girl asked. “When will she be well enough for adoption?”  
  
“Maybe another month or so?”  
  
Silence fell over the two.  
  
“I’d like to adopt her.”  
  
“Byleth,” Manuela said, sighing. “You know owning a cat is a lot harder than helping out at a shelter.”  
  
“Maybe, but she needs a home more than any other animal in this shelter.”  
  
Manuela let out a breathy laugh. “Well, you’re not wrong there.”  
  
Byleth slowly walked up to the pair of animals and knelt next to them. The dog started growling. The blue-haired girl smiled.  
  
“It’s alright, Hubert, I’m not gonna hurt her,” she said as the dog retreated. “Hey there, sweet kitty. I’m gonna take extra-good care of you, alright?”  
  
Her hand slowly advanced towards the vulnerable creature. Hubert began to growl again—standing and baring his teeth.  
  
“Hubert, if I hurt her you can bite my hand off.”  
  
The dog sat back down but kept his attention firmly on the blue haired girl. Byleth’s hand reached the head of the small white kitten and she gently scratched behind her ears, eliciting a small mew. Byleth couldn’t contain the smile on her face as she turned her head back to Manuela.  
  
“I love her,” she said.

🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱

For the next five weeks, each day transpired about the same. Byleth would go straight from classes to Manuela’s animal shelter and give the little white kitten her medicine and physical therapy. It had taken a while for the cat to warm up to her, but once she did, it was clear that the cat loved her as much as she loved the cat. Hubert had stopped threatening Byleth every time she approached the kitten as well. But today was the big day. Little Edelgard got to go home with Byleth today.

“That’s quite the name,” Manuela had said, upon hearing it for the first time, laughing.

“A beautiful name for a beautiful creature,” Byleth had replied.

Her fur was finally growing to cover up her scars, and she was able to eat on her own. Her limp was almost gone, and she was starting to play like a regular kitten.

“Well, everything seems to be in order,” Manuela said as she scanned through the paperwork Byleth handed her. “She’s all yours.”

The blue-haired girl carefully picked up the kitten and held her close to her heart. “Let’s go home, El,” she said as they left the shelter. The faint sound of a whining dog went unnoticed as they left.

Byleth had already readied her house for this day—litter box in the laundry room, food set out in the kitchen, a soft small bed set up in the bedroom, she’d even installed a cat door—so when they arrived the first thing Byleth did was dress Edelgard in the small crimson collar that was sitting in the living room. The kitten rubbed her head under her owner’s hand, who happily complied to her request. Byleth couldn’t help but smile as she heard the purr of her new roommate. The two sat and enjoyed each other’s company, until the small white kitten drifted into sleep. Byleth slowly shifted her fuzzy companion onto the couch as she went to go about her daily chores.

Byleth had just thrown some food for her goldfish, Sothis, and moved on to her own meal. While she was microwaving her simple frozen chicken dinner, tiny paws pitter-pattered towards her. A soft meow caught her attention as she pulled her food from the microwave.

“Aww El, did you smell this?” Byleth said. “Do you want some? It’s too hot. We have to let it cool down first.” She walked to the couch with the kitten trailing behind. Turning on her TV, she was content to let whatever crappy crime drama that was on play as she turned her attention back to her cat, still vying for attention. She took a small piece of her meal and blew on it to cool it down, and then placed it in front of the kitten. Edelgard sniffed at the hunk of meat before gobbling it down and mewing happily. The two were content with each other’s company.

Later that night, Byleth took Edelgard to her bedroom and sat the kitten on the bed she’d bought. The snowy cat’s purple eyes stared longingly up at her owner as she let out a soft mew.

“That’s where you’re gonna sleep at night,” Byleth told her as she scratched her cheek. The girl got into her own bed and wrapped herself in her covers for the night. Soon after she’d tucked herself in, she saw Edelgard jump up onto her bed. The kitten cozied up next to Byleth and let her eyes close. Byleth couldn’t help but smile as she gently stroked the cat’s back.

“Twenty dollars well spent, I see.”

🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱

Byleth’s days for the past week had all followed a very similar schedule: wake up, take care of Edelgard, go to classes, come home, and pamper Edelgard some more. But today was the day she volunteered at the shelter, so going home and spoiling her cat was going to have to wait. Byleth liked volunteering at her next-door neighbor’s shelter, especially since Manuela had become somewhat of a mother figure after her father’s untimely passing. The older woman, of course, saw them more as equals.

“Hello, Byleth,” Manuela called out as the blue-haired girl walked through the door. “How’s Edelgard doing?”

“She won’t leave my side,” replied Byleth. “She needs constant attention, and she cries whenever I leave.”

“Sounds like quite the handful,” Manuela laughed.

“It’s not so bad,” Byleth said. “Sothis was good company, but it’s nice to have a pet who I can play with.” She walked from the lobby to where the animals were kept.

Manuela’s shelter wasn’t very big; It only had seven crates and a small play area. There were only four animals there, so Byleth didn’t have much work to do. Cleaning crates, refilling water and food, pulling an overly-hyper cyan dog away from a napping green kitten, the usual stuff. Well, mostly the usual stuff. Hubert, the normally quiet and reserved dog, had started barking from the moment Byleth entered the shelter.

“What’s wrong, boy?” Byleth asked as the dog fought against the bars of his crate. She pulled the latch, and the second the barrier was gone, Hubert jumped onto her.

“Hubert! What has gotten into you, boy?” she asked as the dog aggressively sniffed her. He let out another powerful bark when Byleth pushed him down.

“You know better than to jump on people,” she said. The defeated dog turned his head to the ground and whined.

“Byleth, I have some paperwork to finish up, but you’re good to go home,” Manuela called from the office area. The blue-haired girl bent down and rubbed Hubert’s head before she turned around to leave. Hubert sniffed the air before quietly growling to himself, watching the girl exit the shelter.

The smell of the kitten was fading. He knew he had to act soon. He lay on the ground, beginning to formulate a plan to chase the smell of his lost kitten.

🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱

Byleth came home to find Edelgard swirling her paw around Sothis’s bowl. The girl quickly ran over and picked up her kitten, who hissed at the fish in response.

“Leave her alone El, she doesn’t want to play,” she said, putting the cat on the ground and moving the goldfish bowl to a shelf outside her reach. Edelgard rubbed her face on Byleth’s calf as she quietly mewed for attention. The blue haired girl knelt next to her and scratched behind her ears. “You’re lucky you’re so cute.”

She walked back into the bedroom and unceremoniously plopped herself onto the bed. Edelgard soon followed, curling up onto Byleth’s chest and letting her owner run her hand down her back. It didn’t take long for the girl to fall asleep, her long day getting the best of her. The kitten listened to the rhythmic thumping of the heart beneath her, but just before sleep could claim her as well, she heard a familiar bark from outside. She slowly slid out from under the hand on her back, careful to not wake her owner, and made her way up to the window. Her eyes went wide when she saw who was outside. Quietly, she hopped off the windowsill to make her way out.

“Hubert, what do you think you’re doing here?” she asked, trying to keep the faint annoyance out of her voice.

“I told you I’d protect you, did I not?” he said, lowering his head. “I am simply here to keep true to my word,”

“Well, while I appreciate your loyalty, you really don’t need to do this…”

“Oh, but I do. Humans left you for dead, and I have no intention of you ending up in that situation again.”

“Byleth treats me well,” the cat stated. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

“Quite frankly, Lady Edelgard, I don’t trust your safety in anyone’s hands but my own. I have seen the way she cares for you. However, I’ve made my mind up on the matter. I will not be leaving your side.”

“I see I can’t sway you. Do as you wish. I’ll see what I can do in the morning.” She walked back to cuddle up with her owner, and Hubert found himself curling up by the front door of the house to sleep for the night.

🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱

Byleth awoke the next morning to Edelgard kneading her chest. She grunted as she lifted the white ball of fluff off of her. Her kitten meowed in reply.

“What do you want so early in the morning?” she said, gently shaking the creature in her hands. Another meow, and Edelgard had slipped from Byleth’s hands. She jumped onto the floor and continued to whine.

“Are you hungry, El?” Byleth asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she forced herself out of bed. She followed the white cat down the hall into the kitchen, stopping to open a fresh can of wet food. More meowing.

“I can only open it so fast,” she mumbled, putting it in the bowl. When the bowl hit the ground Edelgard continued to meow. The cat ran out of the kitchen, heading for the front door. A very groggy Byleth followed her, only to find the animal scratching at the door.

“El, if you want out, there’s a cat door slightly to your left…”

More scratching, more meowing.

“Alright, fine,” she said, unlocking and opening the door. “We’ll do it your way. I don’t understand why you don’t just—Hubert?”

The dog let out a strong woof and walked in like he owned the place. Byleth turned to Edelgard, who went about her business, heading back to the kitchen to eat her breakfast.

“What?”

🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱

One conversation with Manuela, some paperwork, and a trip to the pet store later made Hubert officially the newest member of Byleth’s family. He spent most of his time guarding the front door but could often be found trailing Edelgard around wherever she went.

“Such a good boy, keeping El safe,” Byleth said as she rubbed the top of his head. The canine had learned to appreciate the human’s touch. He followed the girl and her cat back into their room where the girls would cuddle up on the bed and Hubert would lay by the door keeping them safe for the night.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me [on twitter @monkeysrool75](https://twitter.com/monkeysrool75)


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